REGISTERED NURSE- OR Circulating Nurse-No weekends or On-Call

# SUMMARY DESCRIPTION The OR Circulating Nurse is a Registered Nurse who provides quality patient care using the nursing process, the medical plan of care, and organizational policies. The Circulating Nurse reports to the Clinical Coordinator. # RESPONSIBILITIES - Provides communication between team members in the operative areas and persons outside the operating areas. - Obtains needed supplies and equipment for each specific procedure. - Ensures that adequate amounts of surgical and anesthetic supplies are in the operating room. - Verifies suctions, lights, and other needed equipment are available properly functioning. - Arranges room for specific operative procedure. - Assists with opening sterile supplies as needed. - Assists in transporting patient from pre-operative area to operating room after greeting and identifying patient. - Assists anesthesiologist/CRNA in transferring patient onto operating table, if necessary, and applying appropriate safety restraints. The Circulating Nurse never leaves the patient unattended. - Performs and adequately documents “Time out” prior to procedure start time. - Assists CRNA/Anesthesiologist in applying EKG leads, pulse oximeter, and blood pressure cuff as needed. - Assists CRNA/Anesthesiologist during anesthesia induction and emersion, and other crucial periods during the operative procedure. - Performs sponge, needle, and instrument counts (as appropriate) with the Scrub Nurse before, during and after procedure as needed. - May start intravenous lines in accordance with Center standards. - Maintains knowledge of drugs used and can administer drugs safely and accurately whenever required to do so. - Is familiar with supplies, equipment, and medications kept on Emergency Cart and can assist effectively in the event of a medical emergency. - Positions or assists the physician in positioning patient appropriately and safely for specific procedure. - Places conductive pad on patient, if cautery is to be used, after patient is anesthetized. - Adjusts operative lights, shave preps if requested, and performs wash prep. - Connects cautery, suctions, and any other pertinent equipment and positions sponge buckets for the Scrub Nurse. - Completes operative record in a timely manner. - Remains in room, leaving only when necessary. - Anticipates needs of surgical team and provides needed items to sterile field. - Receives faulty instruments from the scrub nurse and marks appropriately before returning them to workroom. - Prepares as much as possible for following case by checking supplies, doctor's preference cards, instruments, and any additional equipment. - Receives specimen from scrub nurse, ensures appropriate container is used, labels properly, completes pathology slip, and ensures specimen is picked up by lab courier. - Opens dressings onto sterile field after final count is completed. - Provides for safe transfer of patient from operating table to stretcher if necessary. - Transports patient with CRNA/Anesthesiologist to the recovery room and completes operative record by recording all pertinent times and events in the medical record. - Returns promptly to operating room and assists scrub nurse in cleaning the room. - May assist with decontamination of surgical instruments and equipment using detergents and disinfectant solutions. - May assist with sterilizing instruments, equipment, and supplies using ultrasonic cleaner, steam sterilizer, and/or other sterilization equipment. - Tags and removes malfunctioning equipment from the OR Suite and reports to the Clinical Director/ Coordinator as soon as possible. - May assist with routine cleaning of ultrasonic unit, sterilizers, etc. - Distributes supplies and stocks sterile storage areas. - Rotates sterile supplies and removes outdated items. - Assists with receiving and storing supplies. - Disposes of contaminated needle containers in appropriate receptacle. - Assists with changing anesthesia circuits between cases. - Participates in the Adv…